Duke Student Government has created a new panel that will allow students to have more say in changes to the University's judicial policies and procedures, DSG announced in a statement Wednesday.
The Judicial Affairs Student Advisory Group-composed of students at large and representatives from a number of campus groups-will make formal recommendations regarding all proposed changes to Judicial Affairs policy.
"It's important to formalize student involvement to make sure that students are always included in the procedures they are expected to live by," said DSG Vice President for Student Affairs Lauren Maisel, a senior. "This is a feat for students-it will institutionalize student involvement in judicial affairs."
DSG President Jordan Giordano, a senior, said the idea for the group did not arise from any particular incident, but rather was the result of a desire for increased student input on changes made to policy.
The group will convene at least three times throughout the year and will include representatives from organizations such as Honor Council, Campus Council and the Greek Judicial Board. Administrators in the Office of Judicial Affairs will also participate in the panel's discussions, and Valerie Kolko, senior program coordinator for the Office of Judicial Affairs, will chair the group. All proposed policy changes must be approved by Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta.
The creation of this advisory group will allow members to be more informed of the disciplinary processes and help their constituents understand them better as well, Stephen Bryan, director of Judicial Affairs and associate dean of students, wrote in an e-mail.
"I think this benefits students in that it fosters greater transparency of the disciplinary system by removing the mystery of how policy and procedure changes are affected," he said.
Maisel said aspects of the advisory group stemmed from recent changes to judicial policy, noting that it was difficult to know how much students were able to voice their opinions in the process.
"It's the campus need that is the impetus driving the proposal," she said. "I think it was just a really great collaborative effort in the groups involved in that proposal, and I'm excited that it'll happen."
Maisel added that the group will be able to consider proposals and recommendations months before they are finalized.
A Judicial Affairs task force-comprised of students, faculty and staff-was created last year by Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki to re-evaluate the undergraduate disciplinary system on a more global scale. Nowicki disbanded the 15-member group last Spring because of ongoing litigation against the University.
Bryan noted that the student advisory group has a narrower charge than the task force. Despite its smaller scope, the group can achieve its goal of being more involved and effective in providing feedback if it is "utilized to its fullest extent with students who truly represent the greater interests and voices of the undergraduate community," Kolko said.
Talks of creating the Judicial Affairs Student Advisory Group started over the summer, and planning began at the beginning of the semester through meetings with administrators, Giordano said.
"In everyone's opinion, there should be a constant conversation about judicial affairs," he said. "We thought this was the best route to constantly adapt to changes on campus and changes in the world."
To foster transparency, minutes of the Judicial Affairs Student Advisory Group meetings will also be made available to the Duke community.
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